Bill
Bill is a staple character in Generations 1 and 2 of the Pokémon games. In Generation 3, his counterpart is Lanette. He is a renowned Pokémon researcher in game-canon. Personality In Twitch Plays Pokemon, Bill has gained the status of the main antagonist in most interpretations. Initially viewed as a potentially evil figure due to his creation of the PC system that has ultimately led to accidental releases of fan-loved Pokémon, Bill's involvement in negative events in the TPP universe have evolved from the level of a side threat to him being the main orchestrator behind stopping the main protagonists. To this day, he is one of the few human characters in TPP whose personality and backstory are clearly defined and accepted. In fact, his character has been widely explored, with various artists gaining interest in him. Many members in the TPP community share the same vision on Bill, mostly thanks to the works of user ZetsuTheFirst. The PC's creator is depicted as being highly intelligent and cautious, with a certain talent for manipulation. His reputation as a programming genius helped him expand his influence all over his native region, Johto, and in Kanto as well. Easily capable to adapt himself to unexpected situations, it is not easy to catch him off guard. He does not bother acting as a sadistic and cruel person in front of others, even his own daughter, so long as it serves his plans. History 'In Gen 1 (Pokemon Red)' His invention of the PC occurred some time before Red's departure from Pallet Town. Originally during the play-through, the Dome Fossil was viewed in many interpretations as the main evil. However, subsequent generations have seen the lore shift focus on Bill as the true threat during the Red play-through, in spite of any earlier connection to the Dome Fossil. Although Bill was generally disliked and seen as potentially evil due to his creation of the PC network, a revisionist history behind Bill and the events of Gen 1 has begun to form. 'The Church of Helix's View on Bill' Many in the Church of Helix believe that Bill served the Dome fossil during the events of Gen 1. They believe that the Dome commanded Bill to trap Red's Pokémon in the PC and force the boy to release them (seen as killing them in popular lore). This view is further reinforced due to the fact that Bill's favorite line of Pokémon is the Eevee line, of which Flareon (The False Prophet) is a part of. Disciples of Dome have attempted to refute these claims by the Church, stating that Dome would never call for the death of Pokémon, and that Bill was already at that time an individual working of his own volition. 'Alternative Interpretation' Reinterpretations of events have led to the belief among some that Bill and the Dome Fossil never had any connection, outside of Bill having possibly manipulated Red into believing the Dome was behind events such as the Release of Abby and Jay Leno and Bloody Sunday. 'In Gen 2 (Pokemon Crystal)' Bill's presence in-game, along with the release of fan-favorite Pokémon such as Prince Omelette and the Admiral early during the play-through led to Bill once again being viewed as an antagonist, although the level of his maliciousness was still in flux in this generation. 'Gift of Burrito' Bill gave to AJ the Eevee (later evolved into an Espeon) Burrito in Goldenrod City. Because Burrito became a fan-favorite Pokémon, and is considered to have "redeemed" the Eevee line after the incident with Flareon in Gen 1, there is much debate as to what Bill's intentions were. Some believe that Bill intended to deliver another "False Prophet", a Pokémon that would thwart the mission from the inside and betray the team, but that Burrito fought for his own destiny and denied Bill his goal. Others believe that Bill was attempting to aid the mission, and that his gift was a sign of good faith, intending to show that he was not responsible for the deaths of several of AJ and Red's Pokémon. However, this latter view has been slowly dismissed due to the events of later generations. Instead, it is theorized that Bill, knowing that AJ had the potential to take down Red (and Lord Helix with him), offered the boy his assistance by giving him an Eevee, so that he could have his part of the victory over the God of Anarchy, ridding himself of an obstacle to his plans.. 'Bill's Involvement in the Johto Wars' Some lore places Bill as the cause of the Johto Wars, placing agents within the Church of Helix who were behind the oppression and needless violence that eventually spawned the rebellion that would take place during Gen 2. These interpret ions also see Bill as ordering an assassination attempt on LazorGator during the Gator Wars. It is believed that if Bill was behind these actions it was in an attempt to turn AJ and his 'Mon against Lord Helix by making them believe the fossil god was behind these events, so that they would travel to Mt. Silver and destroy Helix. In these interpretations it is postulated that Bill needed Lord Helix out of the way to continue with his plans. 'Between Gen 2 and Gen 3 (Pokemon Emerald)' Some lore place AJ and Red on a quest together to stop Bill after the events on Mt. Silver. This lore speculates that the two trainers reconciled their differences, and recognizing Bill as a true threat, attempted to stop him once and for all. However, Bill escaped the two Trainers by using a time machine he designed, travelling several centuries into the future to continue with his plans. 'In Gen 3' Gen 3 was the first generation of TPP in which Bill did not actually appear in-game. However, the growing lore behind the PC's creator ended up not abandoning him as the main antagonist, and instead interpreted Lanette, the character that essentially fills Bill's role in the third generation of Pokémon games, as Bill's main agent working for him while he remained behind the scenes. While the PC was not viewed as much of a threat in the early play-through due to a new menu interface that made releases less likely, the loss of Zexy and Dottie eventually brought the evil of the PC back to light. 'Bill's presence in Gen 3' While there is still debate as to when Gen 3 falls in the actual TPP timeline, it is most commonly viewed to have taken place sometime between immediately following and one-thousand years after the events of Gen 2. Because in actual Pokémon canon Bill has a time machine, his presence in a possibly distant future has been often justified by him using it to travel to a time where the effects of the events he orchestrated during Generations 1 and 2 would have taken full effect, allowing him to continue with his plans. Questions have arisen as to why Bill would need the Randomizer (see below) if he had a working time machine. This has been generally rationalized by the theory that the system can only travel forward through time. 'Bill's Agents: The Elite 4' Because it took several days and well over one-hundred attempts to beat the Elite Four in TPP Emerald, and due to the lore circling back to focus on releases involving well-liked Pokémon in the PC, many lore interpretations place the Elite 4 as lieutenants in either an army or a criminal organization created and led by Bill. As the view on A and her 'Mon's ultimate goals and purposes shifted to them being a special task force seeking justice, it was viewed that they were attempting to bring down Bill's organization. 'Bill's Completion of the Randomizer' As Gen 3 came to a close and it was announced that a randomized version of Pokemon FireRed would be the next played game, many community members began to postulate Bill was creating a machine that could either randomize the past or create a false reality that was randomized. Stories began to call this machine 'the Randomizer'. Some said that it was powered by Lord Helix's empty shell, full of Anarchy energy, that Bill retrieved after AJ's battle against Red on top of Mt. Silver. In most views, it was believed that Bill was using the Elite Four to stall A while he completed and started up the Randomizer. Because it took over one-hundred tries to defeat all four Trainers plus the Champion, Wallace, he was able to complete the machine before A and her team could stop him. Many comics and stories close out Gen 3 with Bill starting up the machine as A is unfortunately too late to do anything. 'In Gen 3.5 (Randomized FireRed)' As the story returned to Kanto and the actual in-game plot mirrored that of Gen 1, Gen 3.5 began to be seen as a corruption of the actual Kanto region, with Bill as the only person aware of the changes. His motives for maintaining the chaotic world that Kanto became were relatively unknown at the moment. The Randomizer had the side effect of depowering the old gods, turning them into normal Pokémon, removing obstacles for the PC's creator's greater plans to be put into action. During the FireRed play-through, the main protagonist, Alice, chose the Dome Fossil at Mt. Moon. Sometime later, she retrieved the Old Amber in the Pewter City Museum. Upon arriving in Cinnabar Island, she revived them, which were interpreted as the revival of Lord Dome, God of Democracy, and Lord Amber, God of Balance. But in the randomized world, the Dome was no longer a Kabutops and Amber was not an Aerodactyl, instead being an Ariados and a Charizard, which caused the Fossil Gods to receive the nicknames of 'Ariadome' and 'Amberzard' by the Voices. Later, they were deposited in the PC, which sealed their fate as Bill's prisoners for a long time. 'Theory : Alice as Bill's daughter' The most popular current interpretation places Alice as Bill's daughter. She is depicted as sickly and comatose before FireRed, probably during the events of TPP Crystal. The Randomizer seemed to be an effort by Bill to create a world where she could healthily live on, and succeed in becoming Kanto's Champion like Red. However Alice did not align herself with her father, his methods or actions. She was shown to be able to live even outside the randomized world, somehow cured of her condition. She openly opposed him, and while he was rather ambiguous about it, going as far as imprisoning and crudely insulting her, he cared and loved Alice until the end. 'In Gen 4 (Pokemon Platinum)' Bill was largely absent from the lore in Gen 4, his with some of his role being played by Bebe and Aaron. His plans were more in the background and in preparation for a greater event. It was often viewed that Bebe and Aaron were manipulated into thinking all those inflicted with the Voices were dangerous and should be stopped at all costs, thus explaining why the Bug-Type Elite Four member fought Napoleon, and also why Bebe's PC system appeared to be similar to Lanette's version. 'In Gen 4.5 (Randomized HeartGold)' Bill made his return in Gen 4.5, first meeting Aoooo in Ecruteak City, later giving her a Gloom with the Slow Start ability at his parents' house in Goldenrod City. The main lore for Bill, which was now forged since Gen 3, stated that most of his actions where part of a greater plot to keep dark eldritch horrors out of the Pokémon world. When Aoooo ultimately defeated Alice at the top of Mt. Silver, the Fossil Gods he trapped and those who beat him came back at full power and his plots were undone, with the horrors nearly entering the world. Afterwards, different depictions feature him being found and getting killed by the Gods themselves, 4 with her signature scythe or even his own corrupted Pokémon, Domalakazam. TPP HeartGold is thus widely considered to be the end of the 'Bill Saga'. It is possible, according to some interpretations, that Bill actually survived the final battle between Aoooo and Alice. This theory suggests that Bill is currently on hiding and is unlikely to reappear, as he would feel that he has served his purpose. 'In Anniversary Red' Bill took a back seat as a villain in Anniversary Red, being displayed as merely a bystander. Giovanni instead filled the role of primary antagonist, having managed to hijack the PC system. Blaine designing a computer to act as a stand in for Giovanni further suggests that Bill played a minor role. It is possible that Bill decided that he had had enough and and decided not to participate in this run, doing nothing to aid or deter Abe, doing nothing to stop Giovanni from interfering with his systems and getting the Pokémon League to use Blaine to create an alternate system. Other Views on Bill There are those who also believe that he created the PC with good intentions, but that the system gained sentience and is now an entity in itself, with its own desires and aims. They believe that Bill has lost control of the PC, and is wrongfully blamed for its actions. This view has become increasingly rare as TPP has continued into Gen 3.5. Trivia * While he is considered to be TPP's greatest villain to date, he was never fought by any protagonist in-game. He is not even a Pokémon Trainer, as his only known Pokémon has been transformed into an abomination by outside horrors. * His full name, as some artists in the TPP subreddit suggested, could be Bill Masaki, with the surname being a reference to Bill's Japanese name in the Pokémon games. ** This does not forcefully imply that Alice's last name is the same, however, as she could easily have her unknown mother's instead. * He is thought to be the descendant of the TPP Conquest protagonist, Lady Abin (A.B.) the Third, because of the fact the two possessed an Eevee and worked for Lord Dome at a given time. 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